page_title: Villa de Zaachila
section_title: The Día de Plaza
hierarchical_section_title: Villa de Zaachila / The town / The Día de Plaza
caption_attribution_description: English: View of the Thursday weekly market in Zaachila, Oaxaca, Mexico
context_page_description: Villa de Zaachila is a town and municipality in Oaxaca, Mexico, six km from the city of Oaxaca.
  It is part of the Zaachila District in the west of the Valles Centrales Region. In the pre-Hispanic era, it was the main city-state for the Valley of Oaxaca after the fall of Monte Albán, and the Zaachila Zapotecs were the prominent political force for much of the Valley of Oaxaca when the Spanish arrived. Since then, it has been mostly quiet, but political unrest has been prominent since 2006 and the municipality has two parallel governments.
  Zaachila is famous for its Thursday open air markets, which spreads over much of the center of town and has been a tradition since pre-Hispanic times. It is home to a mostly unexplored archeological site and is known for a dance called the Danza de los Zancudos, or Dance of the Stilts.
  The official name is Villa de Zaachila. The name Zaachila is from the Zapotec language and means “large leaf of the purslane.
context_section_description: The Thursday Día de Plaza (tianguis), or outdoor market, is Zaachila's weekly main event, which attracts people from various parts of the Valley of Oaxaca, many of whom are Zapotec-speaking peoples from the rural areas. The stalls spread for blocks below the archeological site and the main church. This market tradition dates back to pre-Hispanic times and has changed very little since then.  This market is divided into three sections. The first is called by the Zapotec name “Logueguindan,” which means “plaza of the people of the hills,” and is mostly dedicated to firewood and charcoal for use during the week. This market is located at the entrance to the town, and much of this is from the ocote tree which has a distinctive odor.  This firewood is obtained from the surrounding hills by native Zapotecs and sold by women, with many of the transactions occurring in the Zapotec language.  In addition to firewood, they may offer fruits and vegetables as well. The wood market also sells farming implements such as yokes for oxen. To bring the wood home, there is a service where blue carts pulled by donkeys or horses carry purchases. Although the market has existed for many years, only recently has it been formally organized with an administrator.
  The second section is dedicated to the sale of animals such as goats, pigs, sheep, cattle and others. The third section is on the main square proper with a variety of products from the region such as foodstuffs and local prepared foods such as “capirotadas,” snacks made with chickpeas, nut cakes, sweet breads, candies such as tamarind balls and more. Other highlights include the scarlet-red pitacaya fruit and a foamy tan drink called “tejate,” which is a corn based drink flavored with chocolate, rose petals or ground mamey seeds, sweetened with brown sugar juice and honey. Baskets and pottery are sold for household use.
caption: Scene from the Thursday market
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